Uncle Illya
by JantoJones
Summary: Illya's brother returns. (#2 in my 'Brothers Kuryakin' series)
1. Chapter 1

**LJ Mood-Y Challenge Prompt – Bewildered**

(This chapter is tied to the LJ mood-y challenge, but the rest of the story won't be.)

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**Chapter 1**

"Please take a seat Mr Kuryakin."

Illya accepted Mr Waverly's invitation and chose the seat next to the one occupied by Napoleon Solo. The American gave the Russian a reassuring smile which instantly caused Illya's blood to freeze.

"Has something happened Sir?"

"We've received information from our agents in Poland that they've rescued a family from across the border of the Ukraine."

Illya's frozen blood was joined by a large boulder in the pit of his stomach. There was only one family in the Ukraine which Mr Waverly would need to inform him about.

It had been three months since Illya's newly discovered brother had returned home to Russia. Since then, he had been almost constantly worried about Alexey. Even though he younger man had a different family name, there had been too many people looking for a Kuryakin connection. It would only be a matter of time before the authorities noticed.

"Are they okay?"

"Mr Ivanov and the baby are fine." Mr Waverly assured him.

"And Sofiya Petrovna?"

"Please try not to fret Mr Kuryakin," the Old Man said kindly. "Mrs Ivanova was apparently hurt during their escape but, I have been told, her injuries are not life threatening. They are all being brought here."

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Illya spent the next few hours prowling the corridors of HQ. He couldn't settle until his family were safe. Napoleon had tried a few times to rein his partner in but failed each time. He'd even gone so far as to borrow paperwork from the secretarial pool for Illya to type up. It didn't work. Within half an hour he was back to roaming. Several people, who weren't privy to events, even complained to Mr Waverly and Napoleon about the Russian's odd behaviour.

He was watching practice on the rifle range when a loud speaker announcement called him up to medical. There were several near collisions as Illya sprinted through building; taking the stairs two at a time. Arriving at his destination he skidded to a stop when he saw the state of his bedraggled brother. The younger man was filthy and looked as though he hadn't eaten in a while. He held his son in his arms and was looking completely bewildered. Behind them, Illya could see Napoleon deep in conversation with one of the doctors.

"Alyosha?" Illya said, tentatively.

Alexey looked blearily at his brother, seeming not to recognise him. Slowly the light dawned and he smiled wearily. Before either of them could say anything further, the doctor stepped forward and told Alexey he need to check Pyotr over. The young father hugged his son closer to him.

"He's safe here," Illya gently stated.

He held his arms out to take his nephew. Alexey hesitated a little while longer, but knew he could trust his brother. He kissed Pyotr on the forehead and handed him to Illya. The Russian had never had much to do with children, yet he immediately felt a connection to the child. Cradling the infant, Illya looked down into familiar blue eyes.

"Preevyet Petya. _(Hello Petya.) _ I'm your Uncle Illya and I am going to make sure that you and your parents are safe. Over there, is your Uncle Napoleon," he said, pointing to his partner. "He will teach you how to live in America. He has taught me a great deal."

Napoleon smiled to himself. It was going to be difficult for the family to acclimatise, but at least he and Illya were there to guide them through the transition. He watched as Illya handed the child to the medic before inviting Alexey to the commissary; telling him he needed a good meal.

"I can't go anywhere until I see my wife."

Solo caught the attention of a nurse and asked if she could arrange for some food to be brought to them while Illya persuaded Alexey to sit down.

"What happened?" he asked. "Tell me it wasn't because of me."

"It wasn't," Alexey explained, much to Illya's relief. "Another family in the village were harbouring a Kremlin official who was stealing and selling secrets to the highest bidder."

The agents listened as Alexey described how soldiers had arrived and had begun a search of each house. He knew everyone would be 'questioned' and had no desire to risk his family. Even though he had no connection to the Kremlin thief, he couldn't risk the soldiers finding out his ties to Illya.

"So we snuck away," he continued. "The journey was long and risky, and it got harder when Sofushka fell."

"Sofushka?" Napoleon queried.

"Sofushka is the diminutive of Sofiya", Illya informed him.

"She slipped into a shallow ravine in the forest," Alexey continued with his tale. "She was holding the baby but managed to turn herself so he would not be harmed."

Sofiya had landed awkwardly, causing her shoulder to dislocate. A sharp rock pierced her thigh and she hit her head. Despite her injuries and the bleeding, Alexey had no option but to urge her onwards. They were only a mile from the border and had to cross before daylight.

"We met your U.N.C.L.E. comrades by pure chance. When they told me the name of their organisation, I asked them for asylum. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind," Illya said, with a laugh. Then he became serious. "You realise you probably won't see Mother Russia again?"

Alexey nodded dejectedly.

"It isn't easy to be a Russian in America," Illya told him, sadly. "Luckily, New York is a little more tolerant. There are many other Russian immigrants here."

"The younger man smiled. "At least I already have family here."

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A couple of hours later, Alexey had eaten and cleaned up. Sofiya had been successfully treated and was resting with her husband by her side. Outside the room, Illya had been left holding the baby. Pyotr too had been fed and cleaned up and was now sleeping peacefully in his uncle's arms. Alexander Waverly smiled at the sight of one of his toughest agents gently swaying the infant.

"Medical tells me that Mrs Ivanova will make a speedy recovery," he stated quietly. "They are invited to stay here until she is ready to be discharged. Until then, they will all need new clothes and things, especially this little chap."

Mr Waverly explained how U.N.C.L.E. had a fund in place for agents, or their families, who were in difficulty. He told Illya he was to go out and purchase anything the family would need in the immediate term, using the U.N.C.L.E. account.

"In the meantime, I'm given to understand that an apartment in one of the buildings we own is currently empty. It will be made ready."

"That is very generous of you Sir," Illya said, somewhat taken aback. "But, it is too much. I have savings with which to help them, and they can stay at my apartment. I'm rarely there."

"Nonsense Mr Kuryakin. The fund is there precisely for this sort of thing. Now, you and Mr Solo, take your nephew out and get him the things he needs."

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Getting out of the building was like running the gauntlet for Illya and Napoleon. The sight of the beautiful blond agent with a baby in his arms was almost too much for some of the women; who openly sighed as they approached. It irked Napoleon a little that the Russian was garnering so much attention. Admittedly though, Pyotr was getting more attention than his uncle. At any other time, none of the HQ staff would dare to take something from Illya without asking. It seemed, however, that all the rules were changed where a baby was concerned. Pyotr was plucked from the Russian's grip and passed between the women in the corridor. Illya, against expectations, allowed it to happen; knowing that no harm would come to the child.

"What is it with women and babies?" He asked his partner, as Pyotr was cooed over.

"I have no idea Chum," Napoleon replied with amusement. "But, I'm thinking of asking my sister if I can borrow her kid for a few hours."

"What's the strategy when I finally get Petya back?" Illya queried. "A carriage would be advantages to start with."

Napoleon laughed. "It isn't a mission Tovarisch. We're just shopping."

He did have to agree about the carriage. Illya couldn't be expected to carry the Pyotr in his arms all afternoon.

"How about one of the department stores?" The American suggested. "We can get everything under one roof, including a few clothes for Alexey and Sofiya."

Forty minutes later, Illya, Napoleon, and Pyotr finally made it out of the building; having been held up a further three times. Illya was convinced he'd had easier escapes from THRUSH satraps. Napoleon opted to drive to allow Illya to keep hold of Pyotr.

As agreed, the first purchase was a carriage. It wasn't the cheapest, but neither was it expensive. Illya had no wish to take advantage of Mr Waverly's generosity. As soon as Pyotr was placed into the Navy Blue contraption however, he decided to voice his displeasure.

"How can something so small make that much noise?" Illya complained.

"He was too happy in his daddy's arms," a sales assistant interjected.

"I'm his uncle," Illya informed her, a little too testily.

"Excuse me miss," Napoleon interrupted smoothly. "Young Pyotr and his parents have had a trying time of it, losing everything they own. Mr Kuryakin and I…I'm Napoleon Solo by the way… are attempting to furnish the child with the basics. Could you help us please?"

Like most women, the assistant was powerless against the Solo charm offensive." It would be my pleasure Mr Solo."

"When you're ready," Illya snapped, lifting Pyotr back up. "Have you got anything to stop him crying?"

"Certainly Sir," the assistant replied, curtly. She decided she didn't like the man. Yes, he was nice to look at, but he was so surly.

Napoleon smiled apologetically on his partner's behalf. He was well aware of how tetchy the Russian could be; especially when stressed. The assistant, who offered her name as Lydia, produced a selection of pacifiers.

"I would recommend getting two or three," she advised. "That way, if the first is lost, there is a spare."

"That is an excellent contingency plan," Illya commented.

Solo laughed again. His partner seemed determined to treat this as a mission. Illya choose one the pacifiers and pushed it into Pyotr's mouth. He held the infant next to his shoulder and began to sing softly to him, to calm him down.

"Looly-looly-loolenki _(Looly-looly-loolenki)_

Gde vy, gde vy, gulen'ki _(Where are you, where are you, little doves)_

Priletayte na krovat' _(Come to the bed)_

Nachinayte vorkovat" _(Begin to Coo)_

No wonder he's surly, Lydia thought to herself. What else could you expect from a damn Ruskie? Still, she worked on commission and didn't really care where the money came from. She waited until the infant was quiet and back in the carriage, before continuing the sale.

"Would you gentlemen allow me to gather together the things I think you might need? It'll be a lot quicker than looking for one item at a time."

Illya was more than happy to do anything which would speed the whole process up. There was something about the sales assistant he just wasn't sure about. Napoleon on the other hand seemed to like her very much, but then again, she was a woman. The two men stood in an uncomfortable silence for ten minutes while Lydia set about her task. Though Napoleon did entertain himself by watching her. Eventually, everything was on the counter top, with the exception of one thing.

"Do you want cloth or disposable diapers?" She asked.

"Erm...," was Illya's reply

"I would say disposable for now, purely for the sake of ease," Napoleon ventured. "Once Alexey and family are settled, Sofiya may want to change to cloth."

Illya could see the sense in it and asked for disposable. He looked at the, somewhat mountainous, pile on the counter with concern.

"Are you sure this is just the basics?"

"Yes," Lydia told him, slightly annoyed that the Commie immigrant was questioning her judgement. "I've given you ten sets of clothes, pacifiers, diapers, formula, bottles, a basinet, blankets…"

"Thank you," Napoleon stopped her litany. "I'm sure this is fine. Could you charge it to this account?"

He handed over the UN.C.L.E. credit card. Lydia charged the card and called for someone to help the gentlemen with their purchases. Making sure to get her phone number first, Napoleon bid Lydia farewell. Illya grunted a thank you and pushed the carriage away from the woman. After a quick detour to get some clothes for Alexey and Sofiya, they were ready to head back to HQ.

Napoleon was just about to start the car when he suddenly got back out.

"Give me a couple of minutes."

He was gone before Illya could open his mouth, but returned fairly quickly carrying a ridiculously large teddy bear.

"He has no toys," he said to Illya, by way of explanation.

"And you thought a stuffed animal which would smother him in his cradle would be a good choice?"

Napoleon simply shrugged before trying to work out how to get it in the car. Most of the stuff was in the trunk, while the carriage and basinet were jammed into the back seat.

"Looks like he will have to sit between us."

Illya rolled his eyes, but said nothing. The teddy bear probably cost a fortune and he had no doubt Napoleon had paid for it with his own money.

When they got back to HQ, Napoleon enlisted the help of several of the support staff to get the purchases up to medical. Sofiya was awake and sitting up in bed when the two agents arrived. She looked very anxious; obviously worried about her son. She held out her arms to accept the child.

"Spaciba Illya Nickovitch _(Thank you),_" she said with a broad smile.

"Please, I am Illya," he replied warmly. "It is wonderful to finally meet you."

"Mr Waverly told us about the apartment," said Alexey. "We cannot allow him to be so generous."

"I tried to turn him down on your behalf," Illya informed him. "He wouldn't let me. A lot of people arrive here with nothing, as you have, but very few are given this sort of aid."

"I hope you are able to make your home here," Napoleon added. "There are a lot of other Russians in the city, so hopefully, there won't be too much of a culture shock. Plus, you have Illya and me."

Napoleon made a discreet exit to allow the family to catch up and properly get to know each other. Even though the circumstances weren't ideal, Napoleon was glad that his friend would finally have family close to him. It was something he'd definitely been missing.

The end.


End file.
